Preview: Chargers host G-MAC newcomer Ashland, travel to Tiffin in important week of contests

Jan 11, 2022

There's no rest for G-MAC title contenders in the 2021-22 men's basketball season -- not with a conference this deep.

Coming off two huge games against top contenders that they split last weekend, the Hillsdale College men's basketball team heads right into another critical week that starts with a third-straight matchup with significant title implications.

The Chargers host Ashland in a matchup that will drop one team two games off the pace of current G-MAC leader Walsh as the conference season hits the halfway point. Beyond Ashland, Hillsdale must also navigate a tricky road trip against a Tiffin squad that can score with any team in the country on Saturday.

You can follow along with both games through the Great Midwest Digital Network -- links to webcasts for both contests are below. Thursday's home game against Ashland also will be carried locally on radio stations by both 99.5 FM The Dale and 102.7 FM Radio Free Hillsdale. You also can attend both contests in person and cheer on the Chargers -- links to ticket sales for both games are below as well.

Schedule:

Ashland (7-5, 4-2 G-MAC) at RV Hillsdale (10-3, 5-2 G-MAC) | 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI

RV Hillsdale (10-3, 5-2 G-MAC) at Tiffin (5-7, 1-4 G-MAC) | 3:00 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15 | Gillmor Student Center | Tiffin, OH

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Additional Info

Projected Starters

Hillsdale: #15 Patrick Cartier, So., F, Brookfield, WI/East (22.4 ppg, 5 rpg, 1 spg); #24 Austen Yarian, Sr., F, Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius (9.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 4 apg); #1 Tavon Brown, Jr., F, Columbus, OH/St. Charles Prep (5.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.1 bpg); #2 Kyle Goessler, Jr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (8.4 ppg, 2.9 apg); #5 Cole Nau, Jr., G, Brookfield, WI/Central (4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.8 apg)

Ashland: #1 Brandon Haraway, Jr., G, Norwalk, OH/Norwalk (11.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.5 spg); #2 Bo Furcron, Sr., G, Romulus, MI/Elyria/Florida International (10.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.2 spg); #3 Tre Baumgardner, So., G, Columus, OH/Africentric/Minnesota St. (7.8 ppg); #5 Aaron Thompson, Sr., F, Toledo, OH/St. John's (13.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.9 spg); #40 Derek Koch, Sr., F, West Salem, OH/Northwestern/Bowling Green St. (12.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.2 bpg)

Tiffin: #2 Morgan Taylor, So., G, Chicago, IL/Triton College (11.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.5 apg); #5 Trent Williams, So., G, Solon, OH/Solon (10.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.2 spg); #10 Luke Johnson, Sr., G, Lexington, KY/Loyola University (MD) (11.9 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.1 spg) #11 Dalaino Walker, Jr., F, Springfield, TN/Springfield/Cleveland St. (9 ppg, 5.3 rpg); #21 Tanner Johnson, Sr., G/F, Lexington, KY/Worcester Academy/Bryant University (12.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg)

Scouting the Opposition

Ashland: Big things were expected of the defending GLIAC Tournament champions in their first year in the G-MAC, and so far the Eagles have proven they're a threat to take home the crown.

All five starters return from that 2020-21 squad, including playmaking guard Brandon Haraway and dynamic forward Aaron Thompson, both All-GLIAC players last season.

The addition of Minnesota State transfer Tre Baumgardner has made a potent Eagles lineup even deeper, allowing Ashland to push 2020-21 starter Hunter Shedenhelm into a sixth man role and adding him to a bench that includes high scoring guard Evan Conley and Kent State transfer Evan Bainbridge.

Ashland hasn't been invincible this year – close losses to Cedarville and Walsh have left them a game out of first place in the G-MAC – but the Eagles play great defense, giving up just 66.6 points per game, the second-fewest in the conference, and are an experienced, tough unit with a gritty win over G-MAC contender Malone recently.

Ashland is coached by John Ellenwood, a decorated 13-year veteran who's led Ashland to three NCAA Division II tournament appearances in the last seven seasons. A graduate of Wooster, Ellenwood came to Ashland after three successful seasons as the head coach at Thomas More in Kentucky.

Tiffin: As expected, the Tiffin men's basketball team hasn't changed much in 2021-22, as the Dragons are still relying on their patented high-octane offense that piles up points in a hurry to carry them to success.

The Dragon men are averaging 79.3 points per game, the second-highest mark in the G-MAC, behind four players averaging double figures for the season and two more averaging nine points a game. Senior Tanner Johnson leads a balanced Tiffin attack with 12.3 points per game, and his younger brother Luke is close behind, with 11.9 points per game.

Tiffin can score with the best teams in the G-MAC, but they've been held back in recent years by an inability to get stops at the other end of the floor, and that remains a problem in 2021-22. The Dragons give up a G-MAC-worst 76.2 points per game – a big reason why, despite the big offensive numbers, Tiffin sits at just 5-7 overall, and 1-4 in G-MAC play.

Still, Tiffin's offensive prowess makes them a scary opponent, as Kentucky Wesleyan found out in a narrow 81-77 escape this past weekend. On any given night, the Dragons are capable of running away with a game against even the best teams.

The Dragons are coached by Tom Church, who is in his fourth season in charge of the Tiffin program. During his tenure, Church has been the man responsible for those impressive offensive numbers, guiding the Dragons to top three finishes in scoring offense in the G-MAC in three out of his four seasons so far.

Scouting the Chargers

Hillsdale struggled in its first game in 18 days last Thursday, losing 76-52 to visiting Walsh, but righted the ship on Saturday with an 81-70 win over Malone that keeps the Chargers near the top of the G-MAC standings, one game behind the league-leading Cavaliers.

The Chargers are looking to build off of one of the most successful seasons in school history in 2020-21, a campaign that saw Hillsdale repeat as G-MAC regular season champions, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, and reach the Atlantic Regional Final round, with a 21-3 final record.

Three starters return for the Chargers, led by G-MAC Male Athlete of the Year and consensus All-American Patrick Cartier. A high-volume scorer whose efficient offense consistently draws double-teams in the paint, Cartier has the perfect running mate in fellow first team All-G-MAC forward Austen Yarian, whose versatility and outside shooting touch causes significant matchup issues of his own for opposing defenses.

Also back is junior forward Tavon Brown, whose defense, rebounding and energy were critical to the team's success last season, and who could have another breakout year as his offensive game continues to mature.

Two top subs from 2020-21, juniors Cole Nau and Kyle Goessler, have moved into the starting lineup to help fill the void left by the departures of second-team All-G-MAC honorees Connor Hill and Davis Larson, while fellow junior Jack Gohlke, sophomore Noah Applegate and freshman Joe Reuter, among others, have taken on expanded roles.

The Chargers have been dominant defensively so far, giving up a G-MAC low 64.9 points per game that is 29^th in the nation in Division II. Continuing to play tough defense and improving offensively will be key to Hillsdale's hopes of a big run in 2022.

Directing the Chargers for the 15^th straight season is head coach John Tharp, who is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 261-139 record. Returning as assistants on Hillsdale's bench this year are associate head coach Keven Bradley, assistant coach Eric Weiss, and assistant coach David Choi.

Other Notes

This is the first time Hillsdale and Ashland are meeting as G-MAC foes, but the two programs have a long history with each other dating back to their shared time in the GLIAC for most of the 90's and 2000s. The Chargers lead a competitive series 23-19, and beat Ashland 80-55 in the most recent contest between the two on Feb. 4, 2017. Hillsdale, meanwhile, has dominated the all-time series with Tiffin, 29-4, including 10 straight wins dating back to 2014. The most recent contest, though, was close, as the Chargers had to fight for an 85-83 road victory over the Dragons on Feb. 24 of this year.
Hillsdale was picked as the favorite to win the G-MAC crown for the third consecutive year in the conference's Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour, though by only a single vote over conference newcomer Ashland, which made the NCAA Tournament in its final year in the GLIAC last season. 2020-21 G-MAC runner-up Findlay was picked third and 2020-21 G-MAC Tournament champion Malone was picked in fourth. Currently, the Chargers are 5-2 in G-MAC play, a half-game back of first-place Walsh and tied with Malone.
The 2020-21 G-MAC Male Athlete of the Year, Patrick Cartier, continues to excel on the court in his junior season. Cartier has scored 17 or more points in 11 of Hillsdale's 13 games so far, and is currently first in the G-MAC and 16th in the nation at the DII level in points per game with 22.4. His 63.2 field goal percentage is 16^th in DII, and he is Hillsdale's career leader in the stat by three full percentage points. On Saturday, Nov. 13, the junior also became the 39^th player in Hillsdale College men's basketball history to surpass 1,000 points for his career with 30 points in an 83-61 win over Northwood.
Charger freshman Joe Reuter has carved out an early role off the bench for Hillsdale in his first season on campus, and had a huge game on Saturday against Malone, scoring 21 points on 10 of 12 shooting. It's the first time a true freshman has led the Chargers in scoring since teammate Austen Yarian scored 19 points in a 77-61 win over Trevecca Nazarene on Jan. 27, 2018 and the most points by a true freshman since Andrew Taylor scored 24 in a 75-71 loss to Ashland on Feb. 1, 2007.
Senior Austen Yarian joined Cartier on the list of Charger players to surpass 1,000 points for his career, becoming the 40^th with 11 points against Northwood on Dec. 20. The 2020-21 first-team All-G-MAC player now has 1,012 for his career, and, with 652 rebounds, is also closing in on breaking into the top 10 all-time at Hillsdale in that stat as well.
Hillsdale's team identity under John Tharp is well-known, and it starts with defense – the Chargers lead the G-MAC in scoring defense and are 29^rd in the nation in DII at 64.5 points per game. Unselfishness and taking care of the ball are also core tenets of the Hillsdale style of play, and the Chargers also lead the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.81) and are second in assists per game behind Kentucky Wesleyan (17.15).
While it's a long road to get there, Hillsdale has the opportunity to chase unprecedented accomplishments in the program's history this year. The Chargers will be in contention for a third-straight G-MAC title, something that's never been done in the history of the program. The Chargers also will be looking for their seventh NCAA Division II tournament appearance in school history, and their first back-to-back appearance since the 2000-01 and 2001-02 teams made it in consecutive years.